Powerful brands easily stagnate, playing it too safe with a strong product and failing to innovate or keep up with the times. These former icons either fade into relative obscurity or dust themselves off. We?ve seen several flashy comebacks in the last few years: a heritage deodorant line?s revitalized ?Old Spice Guy,? the revival of GM?s Chevrolet, and the renewed celebrity of former President Bill Clinton, star of the 2012 campaign trail.
Which elapsed products, struggling companies or forgotten personalities will revive their brands in 2013? Marketing and branding experts cast their votes for the next big comeback stories.
Myspace The original social network may be poised for a rebound, after being purchased from News Corp. by performer Justin Timberlake and a group of investors last year. A two-minute teaser video released in September prominently features Timberlake and reveals the new design as photo and entertainment focused. Users are asked to request an invitation to the reimagined site. With Google+?s struggle to get off the ground and Facebook?s flubbed IPO this year, TalkPoint Marketing VP Dan Roche believes Myspace has a real shot at comeback success in 2013. ?They have the advantage of an established name brand, infrastructure and experience,? he says. ?With the influx of new blood, they can make inroads into the Facebook dominance.?
Tiger Woods ?Woods? brand hit the fan in 2009, when we saw his personal life blow up in front of us,? says Kelly O?Keefe, chief creative officer at media agency CRT/tanaka and a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University?s Brandcenter. ?Then, even worse, his [golf] game blew up in 2010 and 2011.? However, this year he started performing better on the green and saw his earnings bounce back to $4.4 million in winnings and $55 million in endorsements, making him the world?s third highest-paid athlete. With the return of his game and his confidence, O?Keefe believes consumers are ready to forgive his personal failings and support his career redemption. Plus, ?in light of drunk-driving manslaughters, murder/suicides, doping and lying by other athletes, Tiger?s marital infidelities are starting to look tame by comparison,? he says.
Furby Toys ?It?s unlikely that the same toy will be popular year after year without a redesign,? says Charles R. Taylor, a marketing professor at Villanova University?s School of Business in Pennsylvania. He points to best-selling Barbie, who?s had 130 careers and a revolving closet, as the model of smart brand reinvention. Now Hasbro, the maker of GI Joe and Mr. Potato Head, is staging a revival of its 14-year-old Furby toy. A new redesigned line was launched in September, equipped with several high-tech add-ons: LED-lit eyes, touch sensors that trigger movement, adaptable personality traits and a companion iPhone app. Taylor says they?ve sold extremely well during the 2012 holiday season, and with an online campaign centered on social media and Furby.com, he expects the toys will be everywhere next year.
The GOP The GOP?s recent presidential loss will likely catalyze a reinvention, says Karen Post, author of "Brand Turnaround: How Brands Gone Bad Return to Glory"and a self-identified moderate Republican. She believes the party has suffered from a lack of diversity, narrow messaging and too little Web and social media interaction. ?A political party is like any big brand,? she says, using Nike as an analogy. ?While Nike has its one thing people associate it with, they spend millions segmenting consumers. The GOP is not grasping that.? Republicans will spend 2013 trying to reach both younger and minority voters, she says, by ramping up social media efforts and recruiting new, diverse spokespeople.
Ford Motor Company?s Lincoln While the Lincoln Town Car was once a staple of luxury and comfort, it?s become associated with stodginess. ?Younger buyers don?t want to buy it,? says marketing expert Taylor. Ford hopes to reposition the brand with its new Lincoln MKZ model targeting Gen X consumers. Every successful comeback campaign starts with product innovation, says Taylor, and so far critics are responding positively. Car and Driver gave it a 4.5 rating on a 5-point scale. Ford is also launching an edgy ad campaign, with one commercial showing an old Town Car in flames and the new model rising like a phoenix from the ashes. Also, comedian Jimmy Fallon is creating a 60-second Super Bowl ad for the model, which he?s crowd-sourcing ideas for on Twitter. ?They?re taking big risks,? says Taylor, who predicts they?ll pay off in 2013.
Twinkies The news of Twinkie-maker Hostess Brands? bankruptcy caused a tidal wave of publicity and nostalgia that may help the sweet treat relaunch in 2013. With companies like Wal-Mart and Kroger reportedly making bids on the business, it?s likely that the Twinkie will have a new owner and a renewed consumer base next year. ?There?s so much tradition and equity in the brand that someone will buy it,? says Taylor. However, for a successful comeback, he believes its new parent will have to break the negative association with junk food by either brand extensions or a smart marketing campaign.
Yahoo The former darling of the tech world faltered in the last several years, suffering from constant volatility at the top?with five CEOs in just five years. However, Rob Scalea, CEO of brand strategy consultancy The Brand Union, believes it could return to its former glory in the year ahead. ?Yahoo made a big coup by recruiting ex-Googler Marissa Mayer,? he says of its new CEO. ?She has brought a new-found focus and a clear strategy: Yahoo! will be a product company with a huge emphasis on mobile.? He cites the reinvention of Yahoo Mail, rumored discussions with Facebook about creating a common social search engine, and a new Flickr app, which positions it to compete with photo-sharing service Instagram, as strong signs of a company comeback.
UC Davis study links low wages with hypertension, especially for women and younger workersPublic release date: 3-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Karen Finney karen.finney@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu 916-734-9064 University of California - Davis Health System
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) Workers earning the lowest wages have a higher risk of hypertension than workers with the highest wages, according to new research from UC Davis.
The correlation between wages and hypertension was especially strong among women and persons between the ages of 25 to 44.
"We were surprised that low wages were such a strong risk factor for two populations not typically associated with hypertension, which is more often linked with being older and male," said J. Paul Leigh, senior author of the study and professor of public health sciences at UC Davis. "Our outcome shows that women and younger employees working at the lowest pay scales should be screened regularly for hypertension as well."
The study, published in the December issue of the European Journal of Public Health, is believed to be the first to isolate the role of wages in hypertension, which occurs when the force of circulating blood against artery walls is too high. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hypertension affects approximately 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. and costs more than $90 billion each year in health-care services, medications and missed work days. It also is a major contributor to heart disease and stroke, both of which are leading causes of death and disability.
While there is a known association between lower socioeconomic status (SES) and hypertension, determining the specific reason for that association has been difficult, according to Leigh. Other researchers have focused on factors such as occupation, job strain, education and insurance coverage, with unclear results. Leigh's study was the first to focus on wages and hypertension.
"By isolating a direct and fundamental aspect of work that people greatly value, we were able to shed light on the relationship between SES and circulatory health," said Leigh. "Wages are also a part of the employment environment that easily can be changed. Policymakers can raise the minimum wage, which tends to increase wages overall and could have significant public-health benefits."
In conducting the study, the team used data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a highly regarded database in social science. This longitudinal, representative study of families in the United States includes information on wages, employment and health, including hypertension status. The team used information from a total of 5,651 household heads and their spouses for three time periods: 1999-2001, 2001-03 and 2003-05. The sample was limited to working adults between 25 and 65 years of age. Anyone with hypertension during the first year (e.g., 1999) of each time period was eliminated from the final sample.
Wages were calculated as annual income from all sources divided by work hours and ranged from about $2.38 to $77 per hour in 1999 dollars. Hypertension was determined by respondents' self-reports of a hypertension diagnosis from their physicians.
The team used logistic regressions for the statistical analysis, and found that doubling the wage was associated with a 16 percent decrease in the risk of a hypertension diagnosis. Doubling the wage reduced the risk of a hypertension diagnosis by 1.2 percent over two years and 0.6 percent for one year.
"That means that if there were 110 million persons employed in the U.S. between the ages of 25 and 65 per year during the entire timeframe of the study -- from 1999 until 2005 -- then a 10 percent increase in everyone's wages would have resulted in 132,000 fewer cases of hypertension each year," said Leigh.
Additional logistic regression analyses by demographics such as age, gender, race and co-morbidities such as obesity, diabetes and alcohol consumption revealed two standout outcomes. Being in the youngest age group -- between 25 and 44 years old -- or being female were strong predictors of hypertension. In fact, doubling the wages of younger workers was associated with a 25 to 30 percent decrease in the risk of a hypertension diagnosis, and doubling the wages of women was associated with a 30 to 35 percent decrease in the risk of a hypertension diagnosis.
Leigh said that a potential limitation of the study regarding the gender disparity was its reliance on respondents' self-reports of hypertension diagnoses.
"Other research has shown that women are more likely than men to report a health diagnosis," said Leigh. "However, the longitudinal nature of the data used in our study helps mitigate that natural bias, and self-reports of health do typically correlate with clinical data."
Leigh recommends additional research using different national data sets to investigate the potential relationship between low wages and hypertension.
"If the outcomes are the same, we could have identified a way to help reduce the costs and personal impact of a major health crisis," said Leigh.
###
The study's co-author was Juan Du, who recently completed her Ph.D. in economics at UC Davis.
The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (grants R01 H008248-01 and U54 OH007550-11).
A copy of "Are Low Wages Risk Factors for Hypertension" can be downloaded at http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/content/22/6/854.abstract.
UC Davis Health System is improving lives and transforming health care by providing excellent patient care, conducting groundbreaking research, fostering innovative, interprofessional education, and creating dynamic, productive partnerships with the community. The academic health system includes one of the country's best medical schools, a 619-bed acute-care teaching hospital, a 1000-member physician's practice group and the new Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. It is home to a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, an international neurodevelopmental institute, a stem cell institute and a comprehensive children's hospital. Other nationally prominent centers focus on advancing telemedicine, improving vascular care, eliminating health disparities and translating research findings into new treatments for patients. Together, they make UC Davis a hub of innovation that is transforming health for all. For more information, visit healthsystem.ucdavis.edu.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
UC Davis study links low wages with hypertension, especially for women and younger workersPublic release date: 3-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Karen Finney karen.finney@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu 916-734-9064 University of California - Davis Health System
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) Workers earning the lowest wages have a higher risk of hypertension than workers with the highest wages, according to new research from UC Davis.
The correlation between wages and hypertension was especially strong among women and persons between the ages of 25 to 44.
"We were surprised that low wages were such a strong risk factor for two populations not typically associated with hypertension, which is more often linked with being older and male," said J. Paul Leigh, senior author of the study and professor of public health sciences at UC Davis. "Our outcome shows that women and younger employees working at the lowest pay scales should be screened regularly for hypertension as well."
The study, published in the December issue of the European Journal of Public Health, is believed to be the first to isolate the role of wages in hypertension, which occurs when the force of circulating blood against artery walls is too high. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hypertension affects approximately 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. and costs more than $90 billion each year in health-care services, medications and missed work days. It also is a major contributor to heart disease and stroke, both of which are leading causes of death and disability.
While there is a known association between lower socioeconomic status (SES) and hypertension, determining the specific reason for that association has been difficult, according to Leigh. Other researchers have focused on factors such as occupation, job strain, education and insurance coverage, with unclear results. Leigh's study was the first to focus on wages and hypertension.
"By isolating a direct and fundamental aspect of work that people greatly value, we were able to shed light on the relationship between SES and circulatory health," said Leigh. "Wages are also a part of the employment environment that easily can be changed. Policymakers can raise the minimum wage, which tends to increase wages overall and could have significant public-health benefits."
In conducting the study, the team used data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a highly regarded database in social science. This longitudinal, representative study of families in the United States includes information on wages, employment and health, including hypertension status. The team used information from a total of 5,651 household heads and their spouses for three time periods: 1999-2001, 2001-03 and 2003-05. The sample was limited to working adults between 25 and 65 years of age. Anyone with hypertension during the first year (e.g., 1999) of each time period was eliminated from the final sample.
Wages were calculated as annual income from all sources divided by work hours and ranged from about $2.38 to $77 per hour in 1999 dollars. Hypertension was determined by respondents' self-reports of a hypertension diagnosis from their physicians.
The team used logistic regressions for the statistical analysis, and found that doubling the wage was associated with a 16 percent decrease in the risk of a hypertension diagnosis. Doubling the wage reduced the risk of a hypertension diagnosis by 1.2 percent over two years and 0.6 percent for one year.
"That means that if there were 110 million persons employed in the U.S. between the ages of 25 and 65 per year during the entire timeframe of the study -- from 1999 until 2005 -- then a 10 percent increase in everyone's wages would have resulted in 132,000 fewer cases of hypertension each year," said Leigh.
Additional logistic regression analyses by demographics such as age, gender, race and co-morbidities such as obesity, diabetes and alcohol consumption revealed two standout outcomes. Being in the youngest age group -- between 25 and 44 years old -- or being female were strong predictors of hypertension. In fact, doubling the wages of younger workers was associated with a 25 to 30 percent decrease in the risk of a hypertension diagnosis, and doubling the wages of women was associated with a 30 to 35 percent decrease in the risk of a hypertension diagnosis.
Leigh said that a potential limitation of the study regarding the gender disparity was its reliance on respondents' self-reports of hypertension diagnoses.
"Other research has shown that women are more likely than men to report a health diagnosis," said Leigh. "However, the longitudinal nature of the data used in our study helps mitigate that natural bias, and self-reports of health do typically correlate with clinical data."
Leigh recommends additional research using different national data sets to investigate the potential relationship between low wages and hypertension.
"If the outcomes are the same, we could have identified a way to help reduce the costs and personal impact of a major health crisis," said Leigh.
###
The study's co-author was Juan Du, who recently completed her Ph.D. in economics at UC Davis.
The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (grants R01 H008248-01 and U54 OH007550-11).
A copy of "Are Low Wages Risk Factors for Hypertension" can be downloaded at http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/content/22/6/854.abstract.
UC Davis Health System is improving lives and transforming health care by providing excellent patient care, conducting groundbreaking research, fostering innovative, interprofessional education, and creating dynamic, productive partnerships with the community. The academic health system includes one of the country's best medical schools, a 619-bed acute-care teaching hospital, a 1000-member physician's practice group and the new Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. It is home to a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, an international neurodevelopmental institute, a stem cell institute and a comprehensive children's hospital. Other nationally prominent centers focus on advancing telemedicine, improving vascular care, eliminating health disparities and translating research findings into new treatments for patients. Together, they make UC Davis a hub of innovation that is transforming health for all. For more information, visit healthsystem.ucdavis.edu.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
I noted on New Year?s Day that South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney looks like he?s ready to be the first overall pick in the NFL draft, except that he?s only two years out of high school and therefore ineligible for the draft. According to Clowney?s coach, Clowney was actually ready for the draft two years ago.
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said on the Dan Patrick Show that Clowney was good enough coming out of high school that he could have gone immediately to the NFL without ever having to play college football at all.
?He could?ve come out of high school, probably, and gone straight to the NFL and played,? Spurrier said. ?He?s just one of those rare guys who has tremendous strength and quickness and explosiveness. And he likes playing. He?s a good guy, he?s really a good teammate also.?
So does that make the NFL draft eligibility rules unfair to Clowney, who has to spend three years risking injury as an amateur before he can make a living as a professional? Spurrier doesn?t sound like he?s too concerned about that question.
?He?s looking forward to next year,? Spurrier said. ?He knew it was a three-year deal. But he?s ready. Oh, yeah, he?s ready for the NFL.?
For those who think Spurrier was engaging in hyperbole when he says Clowney could have gone straight from high school to the NFL, check out the video below. Clowney?s high school highlights look about like what you?d expect from an NFL player playing in high school:
Notice on National Flood Insurance Program Borrowing Authority: Payments for Claims Related to Hurricane Sandy As Well As Other Major Disasters in States Across the Country May be Delayed ? Release date: January 2, 2013.
Release Number: HQ-13-001.
WASHINGTON ? The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), mandated by Congress to administer the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), today notified Congress that without the approval of additional borrowing authority, funds available to pay claims will be exhausted sometime around the week of January 7, 2013.
Supplemental legislation currently under consideration by Congress, based on the Administration?s request submitted to Congress last month and subsequently passed by the Senate in a bipartisan vote, includes $9.7 billion in additional borrowing authority to support the National Flood Insurance Fund to address claims resulting from Superstorm Sandy and other floods. The NFIP continues to pay out claims related to Sandy. To date, nearly 140,000 claims have been made and $1.7 billion has been paid out to survivors.
?FEMA continues to work closely with Write Your Own (WYO) partner companies to meet the needs of survivors and accelerate partial payments for claims,? said Dave Miller, FEMA's Associate Administrator for the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration. ?We urge timely congressional action with regard to the pending supplemental to continue to meet survivor needs.?
Payments on more than 115,000 claims in states across the country may be delayed until Congress increases the NFIP borrowing authority. The use of National Flood Insurance Fund monies are being closely monitored based on actual and anticipated claims.
NFIP policies allow up to approximately 90 days after receipt of a claim to make a payment. Upon depletion of borrowing authority, FEMA will work to ensure any available funds, including ongoing premium payments, may be applied to claim payments.
FEMA?s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
Can you imagine what would happen if a private admitted or surplus lines insurance carrier made such a statement? Receivership or bankruptcy comes to mind.
I suppose that FEMA gets an ?A? for giving a warning about not paying owed money timely because many private insurance carriers that can pay on time fail to do so. But, the worthiness and expectation of dependability is completely removed with these types of announcements.
This year utilize these 5 tips to reduce your fat percentage
Every year millions of people proclaim that for their New Year?s resolution they want to lose weight. As a health and fitness expert I tend to minimize the usage of the term ?lose weight?.
Why?
I don?t believe people should become too obsessive over a particular target weight. As long as you are exercising, which along with a proper diet is the BEST way to lose fat then you will be adding muscle mass. Lean muscle mass weights more than fat. One pound of fat occupies more space than one pound of muscle. Although you will be losing fat you will also be adding on more lean muscle mass becoming both slimmer and stronger!
So how do I shred fat and keep it off for good?
Consistency ? Exercising in a consistent pattern is habit forming. Your body likes to be in a pattern so if you?regularly?work out 4-6 times per week for a few months it will become the ?new normal? for you. You will feel like garbage if you go a week without a workout.
Workout Buddy ? Having a workout buddy doesn?t necessarily mean you work out together. It could be a friend or co-worker at your office that you walk to the gym with and go your separate ways during your workout. This way someone is holding you accountable. On the days when you feel like skipping the workout your workout buddy can help motivate you and vice versa when they are feeling low energy.
Build Muscle ? Don?t fall into the ?fat burning trap? and think that the only way to lose fat is by doing cardio. A combination of resistance exercises (weights) AND cardio is the ticket to a smaller waistline! Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does and therefore your metabolism will be increased.
Decrease Alcohol ? Alcohol consumption is an often overlooked factor in those looking to lose weight and shave off fat. A big night of drinking can provide the equivalent of an entire daily caloric intake! Some of these extra calories can be stored as fat. Check out this previous post for a great example of how alcohol can affect your fat loss goals.
Eating ? Those that skip breakfast are more likely to overeat later in the day. Look at your body like a furnace. It needs fuel to fire. Smaller more frequent meals are preferred over a massive dinner serving. While we are on the subject of food increase your vegetable, fruit, seed and nut intake while reducing your grain, dairy, and sugar intake. Eat pastured meat (animals that graze in a field as they were intended as opposed to grain fed ?super-farms?). Try and avoid processed foods and choose to make home cooked meals rather than prepared ones. Stop drinking pop too ? that stuff is nasty!
Follow these 5 tips and you will be on your way to a leaner body in the New Year! Do you have any tips I?ve missed? I?d love to hear about them below.
Disclaimer: As you can appreciate entire books have been written on proper dietary considerations. This post only briefly touched upon a few of the changes that are beneficial to fat loss.
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Public release date: 3-Jan-2013
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Every year millions of people proclaim that for their New Year?s resolution they want to lose weight. As a health and fitness expert I tend to minimize the usage of the term ?lose weight?.